Transportation

4:49 pm

Tue May 1, 2012

Another I-35 Accident Closed Lanes Earlier Today

Authorities shut down the north and southbound lanes on Interstate 35 earlier this afternoon, after a pickup truck hit a small propane tank trunk just south of Slaughter Lane.

“The pick up truck caught on fire and there was a small leak from the propane tank,” said Veneza Aguinaga, a senior police officer at the Austin Police Department. “It is typical protocol to shut down a road if we feel there is a threat to citizens.”

The interstate was closed for a little over an hour while officials cleaned up the accident. Motorists were encouraged to take Texas 45 and Ben White in order to avoid a back up on the access roads. Earlier this morning, a collision in North Austin shut I-35's southbound lanes temporarily.